A grandad died after being exposed to asbestos while working at the Hoover washing machine factory for more than 30 years, an inquest has heard. Brian Case, 81, spent three decades working on the assembly lines and testing new washing machines at the Hoover factory in Merthyr Tydfil, which closed in 2009.
Mr Case was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is normally associated with being exposed to asbestos, and died weeks later. An inquest heard father-of-four Mr Case died at his home in nearby Treharris just a month after he was diagnosed with the aggressive cancer.
The diagnosis came after he started to complain of a bad back before hospital scans revealed a shadow on his lung. Mr Case's family launched legal action against Hoover following his death.
Read more: Town hit by two car chases within hours as police dog hunts down suspect
A post mortem examination revealed a medical cause of death as pulmonary embolism and bilateral bronchopneumonia along with "sarcomatoid mesothelioma in the setting of asbestos exposure". The inquest heard dad-of-four Mr Case, who was married to retired shop manager Susan, died in July 2020.
Coroner Patricia Morgan said: "Brian Case was aged 81, when on the 19th July 2020 he died at his home address. He had developed an asbestos-related mesothelioma which had been diagnosed in life, and has subsequently been confirmed at post-mortem.
"It is more likely than not that Mr Case was exposed to asbestos during his 30-year employment at Hoover in Merthyr Tydfil where he worked on assembly lines and in testing."
The coroner concluded that Mr Case died as a result of industrial disease. Daughter Sarah Bard said her father worked at the site between 1961 until 1996.
She said: "If we had known dad was likely to become ill from asbestos perhaps one of us would have put two and two together, mentioned it to the doctor and maybe he would have been seen earlier.
"Dad would still be alive if he wasn't affected by this, he and my mother would still be benefiting from their Hoover's pension that he paid into and was entitled to. He could have lived until he was 100."
Mr Case's family had launched legal action against Hoover following his death.
Sarah added: "He was a proper gentleman and anyone in the community would back that up. He was a gentle soul and would do anything for anybody. I never heard him raise his voice. He spoiled my Mum rotten and would do all the cooking. After he retired he was having the time of his life, going on cruises, touring America and looking after his grandchildren.
"He was very active in the community. He and my mother had lots of friends and would go out. Their favourite place was Danygraig Labour Club."
Read next:
